This site is to host information about culture events and more in Northwest Arkansas and Fort Smith as it relates to education, entertainment, speakers, businesses, organizations and other event gatherings.

Wednesday, June 7, 2017

Diversity Task Force (DTF) of Fort Smith is focused on building more leaders in the community. With a shortage of young people helping to step up in the forefront of leadership roles, the older generation feel a need to pass on the torch, but there are not many young leaders willing to help out.The focus of DTF which is a grassroots movement, is to help recruit and train new people to help with initiating and taking charge of issues or concerns that are important to them in the community. Issues of lack of diversity in the Fort Smith School System, Lack of blacks on the Police & Fire Department and lack of Entreneurs or Black Business Owners.

Hebron Franklin

There is also a need for men to step up and take charge in more roles other than sports. Youth are looking for mentors to help teach life skills, guidance and providing inspiration and encouragement or anything to keep them off the drug/alcohol, or school dropout path. Same thing for young girls as well, but moreso, there should be education of parents on these matters too. On June 26, 2017 at 6 pm at the McGill Center, mentors from The Future School of Fort Smith, Joel Releford, Jr and Hebron Franklin will lead a leadership series on Men Mentoring Men. Anyone is invited to come and listen to these men talk about mentoring, leadership, drug prevention, bullying, life skills and more.

Joel Releford Jr.

We need more Men and Women to step up to lead. Come and join DTF Leadership series. We need more leaders to speak and more leaders to Lead!

By the President of the United States of America:A Proclamation.Whereas, on the twentysecond day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty two, a proclamation was issued by the President of the United States, containing, among other things, the following, to wit:"That on the first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free; and the Executive Government of the United States, including the military and naval authority thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of such persons, and will do no act or acts to repress such persons, or any of them, in any efforts they may make for their actual freedom."That the Executive will, on the first day of January aforesaid, by proclamation, designate the States and parts of States, if any, in which the people thereof, respectively, shall then be in rebellion against the United States; and the fact that any State, or the people thereof, shall on that day be, in good faith, represented in the Congress of the United States by members chosen thereto at elections wherein a majority of the qualified voters of such State shall have participated, shall, in the absence of strong countervailing testimony, be deemed conclusive evidence that such State, and the people thereof, are not then in rebellion against the United States."Now, therefore I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, by virtue of the power in me vested as Commander-in-Chief, of the Army and Navy of the United States in time of actual armed rebellion against the authority and government of the United States, and as a fit and necessary war measure for suppressing said rebellion, do, on this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty three, and in accordance with my purpose so to do publicly proclaimed for the full period of one hundred days, from the day first above mentioned, order and designate as the States and parts of States wherein the people thereof respectively, are this day in rebellion against the United States, the following, to wit:Arkansas, Texas, Louisiana, (except the Parishes of St. Bernard, Plaquemines, Jefferson, St. Johns, St. Charles, St. James Ascension, Assumption, Terrebonne, Lafourche, St. Mary, St. Martin, and Orleans, including the City of New Orleans) Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, South-Carolina, North-Carolina, and Virginia, (except the fortyeight counties designated as West Virginia, and also the counties of Berkley, Accomac, Northampton, Elizabeth-City, York, Princess Ann, and Norfolk, including the cities of Norfolk and Portsmouth[)], and which excepted parts, are for the present, left precisely as if this proclamation were not issued.And by virtue of the power, and for the purpose aforesaid, I do order and declare that all persons held as slaves within said designated States, and parts of States, are, and henceforward shall be free; and that the Executive government of the United States, including the military and naval authorities thereof, will recognize and maintain the freedom of said persons.And I hereby enjoin upon the people so declared to be free to abstain from all violence, unless in necessary self-defence; and I recommend to them that, in all cases when allowed, they labor faithfully for reasonable wages.And I further declare and make known, that such persons of suitable condition, will be received into the armed service of the United States to garrison forts, positions, stations, and other places, and to man vessels of all sorts in said service.And upon this act, sincerely believed to be an act of justice, warranted by the Constitution, upon military necessity, I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind, and the gracious favor of Almighty God.In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the seal of the United States to be affixed.

Done at the City of Washington, this first day of January, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and sixty three, and of the Independence of the United States of America the eighty-seventh.

Friday, May 26, 2017

Let's get ready to Rotate!!!Fort Smith, Arkansas will have a new treat for local singles in the area. On Friday June 16 at the new club The Ave at 7pm, 15 single men and 15 single women will have the chance to go on 15 dates in ONE NIGHT!! Dating like this hasn't been so easy and accessible to the community of Fort Smith and putting this together hasn't been a "walk in the park" either.Local volunteers have been working behind the scenes for two months to make this event possible. Individuals will register and pay a $15 fee online (Register Here) to hold their spots. They will also complete a singles profile online as well (Click HERE to complete your profile). When the singles show up, they will have a brief meet and greet and each will receive name tags and dating score card. Then the show begins!!!

Women will take their seat and the men will sit across from the women. Then the timer starts. Each couple will have 3-4 minutes to ask questions before the time goes off. Then, the men rotate to the next chair.Once the 15 dates are over, the hosts and volunteers will score their cards and inform them by text or email who their chosen dates are. Once, they are informed, and matched, the rest is up to them. So, Singles lets get Ready to ROTATE!(For more information about this event, please email F.L. Jones at fljonespoetry@gmail.com )

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

February is Black History Month, a time of the year we set
aside to remember, teach, and learn about the contributions of African
Americans to United States history and to honor their achievements. Black
History Month was established in 1926 (originally just a week) by Dr. Carter
Woodson. It became a whole month in 1976. Dr. Woodson’s impetus for creating
“Negro History Week”, as it was called then, was the lack of recognition
ofthe contributions of Blacks
being taught in U.S. schools.

“He noted that African-American contributions ‘were overlooked, ignored, and
even suppressed by the writers of history textbooks and the teachers who use
them.’Race prejudice,
he concluded, "is merely the logical result of tradition, the inevitable
outcome of thorough instruction to the effect that the Negro has never
contributed anything to the progress of mankind."

It is because of the tradition that we gathered on February
4, 2017 to honor our forbearers. In this instance, we chose to honor them through
poetry. Umoja Soul Writers Group in conjunction with Crystal Bridges Museum
presented Poetic Justice Open Mic at Crystal Bridges “A Tribute to Black Poets
and Writers”. Poetic Justice Open Mic is an open forum poetry slam that
encourages all people, especially people of color to come to the mic and
express themselves about anything that moves them. Mistress of Ceremonies for
the evening was Ms. Lakeesha Nicole Shaw.

The program began with an introduction ofwhy we were there and what we were
doing by Stacy “L.I.F.E.” Harper. With her usual theatric flare, shespoke in lyrical tones of the
importance of poetry in her life and indeed, all our lives.She was followed to the stage by Leron
Jackson, son of Leora Jackson, one of the original founders of Umoja Soul
Writers Group and its driving force. Leron chose a work by Langston Hughes for
his tribute to Black poet history entitled “I, Too, Sing America”. Mr. Hughes
was known for his insightful, colorful portrayals of black life in America from
the twenties through the sixties.

Leora took a little mic time afterwards to discuss Nikki
Giovanni, Margaret Walker, Maya Angelou, and other Black female poets

Michael Day, local poet, vocalist, activist and more, came
with an original work entitled “A God Is Dead” speaking to the ills of racism,
pain and struggle in today’s world. His projected voice reverberating around
the room, the passion about his subject matter clearly evident. I feel like his
homage to those that came before him is one that both he and they can be very
proud of. This young man has important things to say. It would behoove us to
listen.

“We Wear The Masks” by Paul Laurence Dunbar is a poem that
is near and dear to my heart. It was one of the first poems I ever heard by
a…Black person (say what!!) … read to my siblings and me by my favorite aunt,
Ida Henning-Wilson. So when C. J. Beavers came to the mic and uttered the first
phrase I was taken back in time to those days, those naïve days. Mr. Dunbar’s
work inspired my aunt. In turn, she used it to inspire us. We learned a lesson
about creativity and expression that day. Thanks for the memory, C.J.

Maya Angelou, Stacy Harper’s choice for recognition, was a
world reknown, prolific, and talented writer/poetess/teacher/singer/actress. Of
her many works, Stacy chose “Rainbow” to be the piece to represent her with.
Steve“Mr. Ladebac” Toston also
decided to pay homage to Mr. Langston Hughes by reciting “Let America Be
America”. Leora performed her
original piece called “Say Her Name” about lifting up the names of the female
victims of police misconduct. Madia Willis performed an original piece entitled
“Tonic”.

All in all, it was a
pleasant, insightful, educational event. Kudos to Crystal Bridges Museum for
being apart of making it possible.

Monday, February 20, 2017

The 2017 BHM Showcase is right around the corner on February 25, 2017 and the Fayetteville Boys and Girls Club Kids Showcase is coming up on March 11 and the Fort Smith Boys and Girls Kids Showcase will be Saturday April 8.And we are excited to produce these events for you!!!On Saturday February 25, our youth will be dressing up as Famous African Americans of the Past and Present. Some notable individuals are Madam C.J. Walker, B.B. King, Coretta Scott King, Wilma Rudolph, the Tuskegee Airman and many more.On Saturday March 11, 2017, youth will choose from diverse lineups from Super Stars such as Adele, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Bruno Mars, Barack and Michelle Obama, Stephen Curry, Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Martin Luther King, Jr, Rosa Parks, Michael Jackson, and many moreOn Saturday April 8, youth will also choose from Super Stars of the Past and very few of the present with people like Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, George Washington Carver, Anne Frank, Dr. J., Larry Bird, Selena, Prince, Whitney Houston, Maya Angelou and more.All 3 of these Showcases require a lot of help and support to make this the best event possible for our kiddos. This Saturday, we have 14 youth who have been practicing really hard for 8 weeks. Some youth will participate in all 3 showcases, or 2 or just 1 and they are welcome to do as many as they like.We anticipate each showcase will yield 15-25 youth, sometimes more. All of our volunteers have been working to make sure our kids have fun being a historical person of the day.We would like to your support with a donation of $5, $10, $20 or $25 or whatever you would like to give. Your donation will help with items, such as snacks, gift bag items, black history paraphelneia and more at each location. Please attend any one of these showcases or attend all 3!Thank you in advance for your assistance with helping our kids to DREAM and BECOME a SUPERSTAR!!!For more information on how to get your child involved in the showcase for March 11 or April 8, please contact Leora Jackson at umojasoulnwa@yahoo.com or call 901-340-1966. Deadline signup for March 11 is March 3, and deadline for Fort Smith Kids Showcase is March 31, 2017. Thanks!To Donate, please click below